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A quick review of the speciality restaurants onboard the P&O Iona – and which ones are worth paying extra for.
The Iona is one of P&O’s largest ships, and there is a huge range of dining options onboard, from casual and buffet-style through to luxurious, high-end restaurants.
Many of the restaurants are included in your cruise price, so you never need to pay anything extra if you don’t want to. But if you fancy a treat, you can book one of the speciality restaurants. These come with an additional cost, ranging from around £10 to £40, depending on the venue. So the question is – which ones are actually worth paying for?!
On my recent trip, I tried all the main speciality dining venues to see which ones are actually worth the splurge. Hope this helps…
Disclaimer: I booked and paid for my cruise myself, but I was given some onboard credit by P&O’s PR team. All opinions are 100% my own and honest.
The Quick Version: My Top Picks
- On a budget: Beach House – Latin American and Caribbean flavours and fun vibes.
- My favourite: Sindhu – Elegant and stylish with high-end Indian dishes.
- For date night: Limelight Club – Dinner and a show.
- For a treat: Afternoon Tea at the Epicurean – Pretty pastries and ocean views.
P&O Iona Speciality Restaurants
Below, I’ve listed the speciality restaurants in order of price, from the most expensive to the least expensive, with a short review of each one.
Please note: the cover charges mentioned below are what I paid in February 2026. I believe the charges vary slightly depending on what route you’re sailing.
Epicurean – High-end dining
Cover Charge: £40pp, 3 courses
Pre-booking: Up to 120 days before your cruise.
Epicurean is the most expensive onboard restaurant, offering a high-end dining experience. Think small plates and big flavours! The venue itself is a sophisticated dining room, all pristine white tablecloths and light blue trim, with gorgeous ocean views. Although it’s a lovely venue, it felt a little less formal and intimate than it should be for the price: some of the tables are quite close together, and I could hear my neighbours’ conversations.
The service was impeccable, and the food was amazing, with gorgeous flavours and really smart presentation – especially my chocolate tea cup dessert. Portions are small, but not too small, and you also get an amuse-bouche and some petits fours, so there was plenty of food! I paid extra to have wine pairings with my three courses, which was definitely worth the splurge if you want to make a real treat of it.
Overall, I’m not sure Epicurean was quite worth the extra £40 each we spent, especially when compared with the price of the Limelight Club or Sindhu. It felt like that price ought to include a welcome drink or something!
The verdict: Amazing food and an elegant setting – but the cover charge is a tad too high in my opinion!
Limelight Club – Dinner and a show
Cover Charge: Prices vary by cruise and depending on the act (usually between £30-45, we paid £31pp)
Pre-booking: 14 days before your cruise.
The Limelight Club offers dinner with a show, with performances varying by cruise. Spaces are limited, so it’s a very intimate show, and they arrange the tables so that you’ll get a good view no matter where you’re seated. There were two West End stars performing musical numbers on my visit, which was right up my street!
The aim is a high-end dining experience, and they mostly hit the mark, with smart presentation and bold flavours. All our dishes were very nice, except the dessert, which was just ok. Portions were a little small (especially the starters), and to be honest, we did pop up to the buffet afterwards as my partner was still hungry! But overall, the meal was good, the show was amazing (especially for theatre geeks like me), and it was a fun experience.
The verdict: Good food but small portions. Find out what the show is before you book, because that’s the real selling point with this venue.
Sindhu – Indian inspired
Cover Charge: £22pp, 3 courses
Pre-booking: Up to 120 days before your cruise.
Sindhu was my unexpected favourite dining experience on the Iona. So much so that I kept trying to convince my partner that we should go back! It’s a high-end Indian restaurant, and the space is beautiful – lots of elegant dark wood and gold trim. The service was amazing, I loved the venue, and this was easily the best meal we ate on the ship.
I thought the food was delicious, and really high quality considering the fairly reasonable cover charge. But please don’t book it expecting your classic takeaway curry, as you’ll be disappointed! This is a little more fancy, with Indian-inspired dishes and flavours, all with an elevated twist. Think dishes like tandoori lamb cutlets, Keralan-spiced crab, and duck tikka malabari. The meat was cooked to perfection, and the flavours were all delicious, although I have to admit the dessert wasn’t my favourite.
The verdict: Elegant and calming, with great service and delicious food. Not a classic curry house, and it might be too “posh” for some tastes, but it’s ideal for a special treat.
Epicurean Afternoon Tea
Cover Charge: £19.50pp
Pre-booking: Up to 120 days before your cruise.
I’ve covered The Epicurean restaurant above, but during the day, they also offer afternoon tea. This is a bit more reasonably priced than their evening meal offerings, and is perfect if you want a bit of a treat – especially if you’re celebrating a special occasion. (The photo at the top of this page shows the full afternoon tea).
Everything was delicious, especially the chocolate tart and the orange-blossom scones, and the presentation was very pretty. Again, the service was fab, although I felt the tables were a little too close together, making it feel more of an informal, communal experience than I would have liked for the price. Overall, though, it was a lovely experience, enjoying afternoon tea with a view of the ocean.
The verdict: Just the right mix of fancy and fun – perfect for a treat if you don’t mind the splurge. Book it for a sea day, and make sure you don’t eat too much at lunch beforehand!
Beach House – USA, Caribbean, and Latin American
Cover Charge: £11.50pp, 3 courses
Pre-booking: Up to 120 days before your cruise.
Beach House is the most affordable and casual of the speciality restaurants onboard the Iona. The venue is within the Horizon buffet restaurant, more like a cordoned-off area than a separate restaurant, so it didn’t have the same intimate atmosphere as some of the others – think Nando’s vibes rather than swanky restaurant. But it’s a fun setting, and the food was very good considering the price.
The menu is full of American, Caribbean, and Latin American dishes: think fajitas, beer-can chicken, and ceviche. Some of the foods have an extra charge, but most of the menu is included in the cover charge. Again, the food quality was similar to a good chain restaurant, but I really enjoyed the meal. We had the Asado Sharing Platter, chock-full of BBQ meat, and it was absolutely delicious.
The verdict: Beach House is the best option if you want something a little different without spending a lot of money. The cover charge is very reasonable for the quality, the vibes are fun, and the food was nice.
The Olive Grove – Mediterranean flavours
Cover Charge: £0
Pre-booking: Once onboard.
First off, The Olive Grove isn’t actually a speciality restaurant as there’s no cover charge – and most of the menu is included in your cruise fare. However, unlike the normal dining rooms, you can book it in advance once on board. It’s Mediterranean-inspired, and the decor gives it a bit of a trattoria feel, with faux ivy trellises and glowing lamps. The food is decent, but I’d say it was the kind of quality you’d get in a chain restaurant; good, but not mind-blowing!
Food-wise, it’s very Mediterranean: antipasti sharing boards, pasta dishes, pizzas, gyros, etc. There are a few dishes on the menu with an extra fee, and these are arguably the best ones, for example, the hanging kebab and the slow-cooked lamb tagine. I tried both of these, and they were great, but our Mediterranean sharing platter to start was a bit of a let-down, with tiny portions (just one tiny slice of chorizo each!). On our visit, service was slow and a bit unfriendly, but I’m happy to assume this was a blip – we actually spoke to the head waiter after, and he mentioned our server was very new.
The verdict: Nice enough given that there’s no fee to dine here! A good choice if you want the feel of a speciality restaurant without paying extra.
Which Restaurants are Included on the P&O Iona?
If you don’t want to pay extra to dine, don’t worry: you have plenty of options included in your cruise price:
- Horizon – The buffet restaurant. Casual, varied, and often crowded at mealtimes (especially breakfast).
- Freedom Dining – There are four formal dining rooms (Aqua, Coral, Opal and Pearl). The menu is the same across all four venues, and changes every day, so it won’t get samey.
- The Quays – A mini food-court, with three live cooking sections. Choose from an American Diner (burgers and fried chicken), Fish and Chips, and an Asian-style venue (the katsu curry is very good).
- The Olive Grove – As mentioned above, the Mediterranean-inspired Olive Grove is mostly included, although a couple of menu items have an extra fee.
- Taste 360 – Street-food style venue near the SkyDome pool with a range of light bites (tapas, pizzas, hot dogs, etc.).
Other Pay-Extra Dining Options
- Ripples – Ice cream parlour with gelato by the scoop, sundaes, desserts, and an ice cream afternoon tea!
- Sundaes – Small ice cream stall in the Skydome (near the “main” pool).
- Room Service – There’s a limited menu of meal options available to deliver to your cabin. Sadly, there’s no cooked breakfast on the room service menu, only pastries or cereal.
- The Glass House – Tapas and wine bar in the atrium with an à la carte menu (small plates are around the £3 mark). I didn’t have time to eat here, unfortunately, but it did look lovely.
- The Keel & Cow – Gastro-pub style dining, with steaks, burgers, and British pub classics. They also do breakfast. Again, I didn’t have time to eat here, but the food looks good. However, I didn’t love the venue, as it’s in the Atrium near the doors to the Promeade Deck, which is a busy area with lots of people walking by.
Speciality Restaurant Sample Menus
Have you eaten at any of the speciality restaurants on the P&O Iona? Share your experiences in the comments below (and feel free to ask me any questions).
